Reflection of the Stars
by EndlessStars
Summary: After a magical ritual gone wrong, Edward and Alphonse Elric pay the price. Ed loses an arm and leg and Al is slowly turning into stone. To save his brother, Ed must find the legendary Philosopher's Book. He joins the royal army to help his search. But when magic is suddenly banned from Amestris, things get complicated. And who's this dwarf in the flask he keeps hearing about? AU
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello reader! I see that you have stumbled upon my first fanfiction! Before we start on our magical journey to the enchanted land of Amestris, I must go over a few things. 1) This story is based on the manga/2009 anime. 2) I am new at writing, so mistakes should be expected. 3) There are canon pairings and maybe some parental stuff but don't expect too much romance. I don't like romance as a genre and if I try to write it, it will either be cheesy to the point of being painful to read, or it'll be a pile of utter nonsense. 4) This is obviously an AU and a Fantasy. 5) I'll try to update weekly or biweekly but no promises! 6) Feel free to review and tell me how awesome(or horrible) my story and writing is! Please? I love reviews! Now, without further ado, let the journey begin!**

**Disclaimer: Even with a Philosopher's Stone, I will never own FMA.**

Prologue

Since the beginning of time, there was a series of legends, passed down from one generation to the next. It was said that these legends told the story about the world's past and its fate. These legends had held the answers to everything, even the truth. But at some point in time, the legends were forgotten and the humans would move on to a new era where they would perhaps rediscover all that had been lost. The remaining believers of these legends have insisted that the stories still exist. They believed that fate, past, and truth had all been written in an ancient book. They called this book, the Philosopher's Book.

Of course, the majority of people think of the legends as just that, legends. They thought that it was just a story that naïve and desperate people believed in to give themselves hope. But Edward Elric _was_ desperate. He would do anything to reach his goal, and if there was a chance, no matter how small, that the Philosopher's Book was hidden somewhere, he wasn't going to let that chance go.

But when he had set out one month ago, he had been too hopeful. Now, after so many failures, he realized that the Philosopher's Book hadn't been found for so long for a very good reason. Now, he was also broke, tired, far from home, and lost in the middle of nowhere, and he hadn't gotten any closer to finding the book.

He looked up at the glaring, melting hot sun lazily. _So tired.._. He moaned to himself, feeling ready to collapse. A sharp peck on his head jolted him from his daze. It was that pesky bird again. He glared at the yellow creature, shooing it away angrily.

"Stupid bird." He muttered testily to himself. "How does Alphonse get along with you so well? Familiar or not, your the most annoying thing I've ever been unfortunate enough to meet." Apparently, the bird didn't like his comment. It squawked angrily and poked at him again.

"Brother, calm down. Feathers is just reminding you to not fall asleep while walking." A young voice said. Ed took out a small mirror that had been hidden in his crimson red robes. A boy with golden eyes and hair stared back at him. But it wasn't him, despite the similarities. It was his younger brother, Alphonse.

"That little monster is trying to provoke me." He hissed insistently to the mirror. Al rolled his eyes.

"Should I even bother to try to tell you otherwise?"

"No, you'll be wasting your breath, _because I'm right_." A long sigh.

"Keep telling that to yourself."

"Are you saying that I'm delusional?" He demanded.

"No, I'm just implying it." Al said innocently. Ed growled, stuffing the mirror back in his pocket. Apparently, the little bird didn't like him treating its master like that either, for it pecked him again. He yelped in irritation rather than pain and glared at the creature who was producing a sound that sounded suspiciously like laughter. A vein bulged from Ed's head as his face reddened in rage. The creature wisely decided to fly higher.

"Oh no..." Al moaned from the mirror. Ed tried to calm down.

_Deep calming breaths, Ed. One. Two. Three..._ He didn't even get to ten before the bird started laughing again. As he later would claim, all he saw after that was red.

"Get back here you feathered little monster! I'm going to _murder_ you!" Ed screamed as he took out a wand and started shooting spells at the creature. "Stop moving so I can turn you into a melon! _I'm having bird for dinner tonight!_"

"A melon?!" Al exclaimed, understandably confused. "Brother, where did that come from?" Ed ignored him as he continued to chase his target who was now laughing uncontrollably. As the bird flew onwards down the road, Ed chased it in vain.

He was so focused on catching the bird, he didn't notice that he was in a village until half of it was already destroyed. Now, he found himself surrounded by royal guards wielding magical weapons. The bird landed on his shoulders, looking as smug as a bird can possibly look and poked him once again. Ed groaned.

"I hate my life."

* * *

He tapped his foot on the filthy floor of his cell impatiently as he waited for his trial to begin.

"Brother, I_ told_ you that you still needed those anger management classes." Al sighed. "This is the third time you've ended up in a dungeon and it's only been a month!"

"I don't need those so called teachers lecturing me about how to stay calm, Al. People just don't understand that accidents will happen! I don't get why they make such a big deal over it." Ed said defensively.

"Brother, accident or not, _destroying half a village is a big deal!_" Al said in exasperation.

"Why? I always offer to clean up my own mess! With just a wave of my wand, everything will be back just the way it was." Al decided to give up on the matter.

"Ugh, I'm not going to argue with you about this. Just forget that I ever said anything. But believe it or not, putting you in jail for destroying a village is justified, Brother." Before Ed could respond, a guard unlocked his cell.

Ed stood up as a man entered the room.

"Edward Elric?"

"That's me."

"Come with me, your trial is about to begin." Ed sighed and followed the man out of his prison. They exited the jailhouse and walked past the ruins that Ed had created earlier that day. The man looked at the piles of rubble curiously.

"I've heard that you caused all this damage this morning. Is it true?" His guide asked as they strolled down the still busy street.

"I don't remember doing it, but according to witnesses, yes."

"I see. May I ask what your motives were?"

"It was an accident."

"An accident?"

"Yeah, got a problem with that?" Ed asked, suddenly defensive.

"I'm afraid so, Mr. Elric. I find it hard believe that someone could _accidentally_ destroy a village."

"Well it happened, so too bad." He felt sharp eyes suddenly turn on him, but refused to meet them. The gaze left as soon as it came.

The man remained silent for a few seconds, as if deep in thought. He then turned to look sidelong at Ed.

"Do you see this symbol on my jacket?" Ed looked at him with an irritated glare.

"You mean that giant lion thing that takes up most of your fancy coat?"

"That's another way of putting it." The man said calmly.

"Yeah, of course I see it! Do I look blind to you?"

"A simple 'yes' would have sufficed."

"Why would you ask me such a ridiculous question?" Ed asked, ignoring the man's previous statement. No response.

"Do you know what this symbol means?" The man suddenly asked, ignoring Ed as well. Ed snorted.

"No, why would I?" Again, no answer. "Hey, I asked you a question!" Ed snapped, breaking the silence that had stretched over them.

They came to an abrupt stop in front of large heavy doors and the man turned to face him.

"This is the symbol of a Royal Mage, an elite force of skilled magic users under the direct command of the King. We are a rather recent addition to the Royal Army. However, we are well known throughout the lands. Your lack of fear and nervousness around me implies that you have either never heard of us, or that you're a brave fool."

Ed rolled his eyes. "That's good to know." He said sarcastically. "but if you're expecting me to kneel before you and kiss your feet because of your fancy coat, _you_ are the fool here."

The man chuckled. "You've got nerves of steel, boy." He held out his hands. "I'm Colonel Roy Mustang, the Dragon Mage. I'll be your judge for your trial." Ed looked at the hand but refused to shake it. Glaring at the man defiantly, he turned, pushed open the doors, and stomped inside, ready to get the trial done and over with.

He had been expecting a giant court room, filled with people and officers all over the place, glaring at him. That was, after all, the environment he had faced in all of his previous trials. But what he found behind those doors was not a court room, but a spacious office. He got the feeling that things were going to get complicated. Ed spun around to face Mustang.

"What kind of a trial is this?" He demanded as Mustang stepped into his office, the doors closing behind him with an ominous _thud_.

"A trial is a rather harsh way of putting it." He said with a smirk. "Think of it as more of an interview. An interview that will decide if you'll be sent to the dungeons, or if I let you go."

* * *

Ed scowled at the man, tempted to draw out one of his wands on the arrogant Colonel. The man had the nerve to make him sit and wait while he finished some paperwork, and Ed was starting to get bored. _Really_ bored. Unfortunately, attacking the Colonel would certainly result in a term in prison.

"And I'm finished!" The man cheered as he signed the last of his paperwork.

In his head, Ed cheered himself. "Good for you!" He said impatiently. "Can we get on with my trial now?"

"Of course, of course. Your _interview_, right." Mustang said, taking out a pen and blank piece of paper. "First question, what's your name?"

"You already know it."

"It's nice meet you, Mr. You Already Know It." Mustang said, dripping with sarcasm as he scribbled something down on the paper. "What was your purpose in coming to this town?"

"I was chasing an annoying bird and somehow ended up here." Ed answered honestly, grimacing at the memory of the little bird. The Colonel, however, appeared to be unconvinced. As he wrote down some notes, he asked the next question.

"Do you practice magic?"

"Yes."

"What type?"

"I refuse to answer that. It seems irrelevant." Mustang frowned at that, but didn't pry.

"Have you ever committed a crime before?"

"I've ended up in several dungeons, but I have never been found guilty."

"Do you have any family?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Again, irrelevant."

The interview went on in this manner for about an hour. Mustang would ask a question and Ed would answer it. By the end of it, half of the questions ended up unanswered since Ed thought that they were "irrelevant".

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Mustang put down his pen and met his eyes with Ed's, asking the final question.

"What do you know of the Philosopher's Book?"

A deadly silence filled the room.

"I'm done with this." Ed said softly, standing up to leave. Mustang made no move to stop him. He was almost at the door when he felt something tug at his arms. Golden eyes narrowed and without turning around, he paused.

"Is something the matter?" Mustang asked pleasantly.

"You're a circle user." Ed stated, still not turning around.

"How did you know?" The Colonel asked with a dark grin.

"The 'invisible chains' is often the first spell a circle user learns." Mustang chuckled grimly.

"I see, so you really are a mage."

"I would appreciate it if you would release me." Ed said through gritted teeth.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Our interview isn't over yet."

"Didn't I tell you that I'm done with this?"

"You did. But _I'm_ not done with this yet." Ed decided to play along, rather than argue with the Colonel. He returned to his seat. "Thank you. Now, I believe that you have yet to answer my last question. What do you know of the Philosopher's Book?"

"Irrelevant." Ed said coldly.

"That's no longer an option."

"Then throw me into the dungeons because I'm not answering that."

"I'm afraid that a term in prison is no longer what's at stake. If you do not answer, I will be forced to execute you."

"What? Why?" Ed hissed angrily.

"Classified. Now, I ask you again, what do you know about the Philosopher's Book?"

A deadly sharp stick appeared between Mustang's eyes. Ed's wand.

"I_ said_ that I'm not answering that question." He said in a dangerously low voice as his wand started to glow with a blood red light.

Mustang smirked, writing down another note on his almost full piece of paper. "You're a wand user." He said. Ed glared at him.

_If only looks could kill..._

"Your interview is over." Mustang said, gathering his many pages of notes. "Please wait here for your results." Ed scowled.

"As if I could leave. What is this anyway? A test?"

The Colonel was already gone.

* * *

"The Philosopher's Book? How does a boy know anything about such a thing?" Mustang was standing before the ruler of the fair kingdom of Amestris, King Bradley.

"I don't know, sir. " He said, answering the King's question. "He got rather defensive when I asked him about it."

"I see, how interesting. What else did you find out about this... Edward Elric?"

"He's a wand user, sir. It would also be safe to assume that he is quite skilled with magic too, considering the damage he caused this morning." The King nodded.

"Do you think he's skilled enough to join?" He suddenly asked, catching Mustang by surprise. The Colonel lost his composure for a moment, as he stared at the King in shock.

"Sir... are you suggesting that he..." He couldn't finish the sentence, but the King's nod confirmed his suspicions. "Sir, he's just a child! You can't possibly be thinking about letting him join the army!"

"Why not? If he's as skilled as your notes seem to imply he is, I think he would be more than qualified to become a Royal Mage."

"But-" The King held up a hand.

"I understand that you do not approve of recruiting a child, Mustang. However, we need as many mages as we could get, especially now. If he is indeed skilled enough, then it is to my belief that he should join our military." The Colonel wanted to protest, but he tried to calm himself first before he could blurt out anything else.

"Sir, it is not his skill you should be worried about." Mustang said carefully. "Do you think that the boy can withstand the pressure of being a soldier? It would mean that he would have to face the hostility of the people, the prospect of fighting in wars, and he would one day have to _kill_." Bradley seemed to consider this.

"Mustang, according to your notes, he has ended up in a dungeon several times. Does that sound like something a normal boy would have to go through? Don't think that he has already faced danger? It has also to come to my attention that he does not seem to have a guardian around. These facts all indicate boy has probably experienced his fair share of pain. I believe that he is prepared to face all the challenges of being a soldier. And if he isn't ready, then he wouldn't be able to pass the exam anyway." The Colonel hesitated. Bradley had a point. If Edward wasn't ready for all the challenges, then he would never be able to pass the Royal Mage exam. There was still one thing bothering him though.

"I see your point...sir." He said reluctantly. "However, I'd like to test the boy myself for a couple of days."

"Oh?" Bradley raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

Mustang took a deep breath. "I'd like to see what type of a person he is, what his goals are, what his potential might be. After all, the last thing we need at the moment is a powerful mage who could very likely betray us." Bradley nodded.

"That makes sense." He said. After thinking about it for a moment, he came to a decision. "Very well, Mustang. I'll give you two days to test the boy. Afterwards, your are to report to me about it. _Then_, we shall see what the boy's fate will be." Mustang saluted to the King.

"Thank you, sir. I will not fail you!"

* * *

The Colonel entered the room with a strange look in his eyes. Ed didn't like it. Not one bit.

"So, can I go now? Or do I sit in a cell for a few days?" He asked suspiciously.

"You will be doing neither of those." Mustang said, plopping onto his giant chair. "I have actually decided to have you work for me for a couple of days."

"What?!" Ed exclaimed.

"You heard me. You'll be my... _assistant_ for two days as a punishment for wrecking my village." The Colonel grinned at the thought of it. Two days without having to deal with paperwork... and of course testing the boy, but no paperwork! Unfortunately, Ed wasn't as excited about this as he was.

"Who says I'm going to comply with this?" Ed asked, fuming.

"Me and my pretty little circle that can burn you." Mustang said cheerfully, exposing a circle that was sewn into his gloves. "And if that isn't enough, I have about a hundred men under my command who are in the area." Ed glowered at the man.

"I could fix the village if you want me to. But if you think that I'm going to be your servant for a couple of days, then your _dead_ wrong."

"Would it help if I offered you some supplies?" Mustang asked, stopping a standing up Ed from immediately leaving. He smirked, knowing that he had won. "The next village is about a week away from here if you walk, and I see that you have no supplies for such a journey. I would gladly give you all the things you need, _but_ you'll have to work for it."

Ed had to think about it. He had been lost for about two weeks now... a nice meal and some cold fresh water that didn't taste like mud sounded really appetizing at the moment. He glared at the manipulative Colonel.

"Two days, right? Nothing more, nothing less?" The Colonel nodded. With a deep sigh, knowing that he would probably regret it later, Ed relented. "Fine, I'll do it."

* * *

**A/N: I actually really enjoyed writing this! I hope you had just as much fun reading it. That wasn't too horrible or rushed, was it? I have a horrible habit of rushing, especially at the end of chapters. On the bright side, this ended up being longer than I expected it to. Please, please, _please_, review! Tell me how you think the story is! And I beg you, if you have any constructive criticism, please do tell me! I really need it! Until our paths cross again, I, EndlessStars, bid you farewell!**


	2. Chapter 1: The New Law

**A/N: I'm back~ Sorry for disappearing for half the year! I feel so guilty! I really don't have much of an excuse as to why this took so long. I guess you could say that life got busy and I kinda left the FMA fandom for awhile. That and I rewrote this chapter five times. I wasn't sure how to continue this story, I suppose. However, in the eight month period that I didn't update, I ended up watching BBC Merlin and the show gave me some inspiration for this story. The plot has dramatically changed (for the better, I hope), but it isn't anything like BBC Merlin's plot, in case your wondering. Anyway, thank you to the two reviewers and four followers for showing some support! It means a LOT to me. And also, thank you for your patience, although I won't blame you if you've forgotten or last interest in this story at this point. To those still interested, updates will be kinda scattered but for now, you probably won't have to worry about waiting for months for an update. Expect me to disappear every once in awhile though... Now, without further ado, let the story continue!  
**

**Disclaimer: Why would I be writing FANFICTION if I owned FMA?**

* * *

Chapter 1: The New Law

Edward Elric stared at the letter in his hands, eyes wide with fury and horror. _How could this happen? Everything was going so well! This can't be happening! Why? Why can't anything _good_ happen to us?_

"Brother..." A small voice behind him spoke up. Ed turned to his younger brother, who stared back at him fearfully. "Now what are we going do? I don't want to die, Ed. I want to stay with you and Winry longer. I want to live my life!" Tears were beginning to form in his little brother's eyes. For once in his life, Ed was speechless. He had no words of comfort for his sibling. What _could_ he say? Al was as good as _dead_ now, and there was _nothing_ he could do about it. He read the letter in his hands once more, sure that his eyes were deceiving him.

* * *

_To: The Fullmetal Mage_

_As of today, magic has been banned from the kingdom of Amestris. Studies and research have shown that sorcery corrupts souls and shortens the lifespan of their users. Anybody who has been in contact with magic in any shape or form has the potential to become a monster. Because of this, all Royal Mages will be stripped of their title and are forbidden to practice any form of magic. All items related to magic are to be turned over to the Royal Army and all cursed people must be imprisoned to be supervised or possibly executed, depending on the nature of their curse. Failure to meet these requirements will result in execution, with no exceptions. This law will be enforced for the safety of the people, so any rebellions will be extinguished quickly. That said, you, The Fullmetal Mage, has one day to pack up and leave this castle. Failure to do so will result in removal by force. If you have any questions, please ask your Commanding Officer._

* * *

There was no mistake about it. They were forbidden to use magic now. But without magic, Al could never be cured. What's more, Al was also cursed, making him one of the people that the army would come for. In just a few sentences, he had lost his job, his sibling, and any dreams or hopes he had ever had. There was nothing he could do about it. And he hated that.

An ugly feeling of scorn and pure hatred washed over him, and his despairing golden eyes was lit with fire once more. Only this wasn't a fire of hope, but one of vengeance that would burn anything in its path. He let that anger possess him, and he tore the letter into pieces, letting the ruined letter's remains flutter down to the ground like the king soon would. He then pretended to not notice Al's horrified stare, and marched out of the room, ignoring to his little brother's voice. He had a Colonel to see.

As soon as he entered the room, he drew out his wand and pointed it at the Dragon Mage. His Commanding Officer looked startled, but not all to surprised at his sudden entrance.

"You." Ed said in an icy cold voice. "You're going to do as I say, or so help me, I will blast you into ashes right here and now." The Colonel dipped his head in acknowledgement.

"Good to see you too, Fullmetal." He said dryly. "You know there's no need for the wand right? I was just about to tell-"

"Shut up and listen. You're going to help my little brother get out of this city and keep him from being taken. I don't care how you do it, but-"

"If you would let me finish..." Roy interrupted. "I was going to tell you that I have prepared for that already." Ed's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not a heartless dog of the military as you seem to believe I am. I'm going to let an innocent boy get murdered for being a victim of a curse! As soon as I heard wind of this new law, I called one of my acquaintances to come and help evacuate all cursed people of the city. She'll be here by nightfall and by tomorrow, every enchanted citizen in Central City will be long gone." The former Royal Mage stared at him suspiciously. Roy rolled his eyes and cautiously place a hand on his subordinate's shoulder. "Just trust me, Ed. Everything's going to be okay."

"No it's not!" Ed snapped angrily. "Without magic, how am I going to save Al? My little brother, _my last family member_, is going to turn into stone! How is that considered okay? Huh? You tell me!" Roy smirked.

"Since when did you ever follow the rules, Fullmetal?"

* * *

At the crack of dawn, Ed was wearing a peasant's outfit, walking beside a former Colonel as they approached the city's exit. He had seen his brother off the previous night, telling him that they would meet again soon. Lady Hawkeye, the person Roy had asked to help evacuate the citizens had given him a small bird that would be able to transport any letters he wished to send to his brother quickly. He wasn't happy about leaving his sibling in the hands of the daughter of Lord Grumman, who could potentially sentence Al to be executed, but Lady Hawkeye seemed perfectly capable of preventing that form happening.

He glanced sidelong at Roy, who was also dressed as a peasant.

"Why are you doing this?" Ed asked, forcing himself to keep his naturally loud voice, quiet.

His fellow mage didn't even turn to look at him. "Let's just say, I have debt that I owe to someone you know." He said. "I'm doing this to make good on a promise."

Ed didn't have clue about what Roy was saying, but he didn't pry. Something told him that there was nothing to be gained from asking any further.

"So what's this library you were talking about?" He asked instead, truly curious as to what Roy was planning to do. "Surly the Royal Army will get there long before we do and burn every last book..."

"Well, this particular library isn't marked on the map." The mage said slowly, as if he were trying to hide something. As Ed narrowed his eyes suspiciously, he hurriedly reassured the boy. "The King would never send his army to where we're going. He doesn't even know it exists!" Ed looked at him skeptically.

"Your hiding something." He finally said after an awkward moment of silence. "And I have a feeling that I'm not going to like whatever you have in mind." Roy shrugged, trying to act relaxed.

"Are you good with animals, Fullmetal?" The boy grimaced, remembering Al's many familiars and the bird that Lady Hawkeye had given him, which was currently in a cage.

"No, not all. According to Al, my 'violent tendencies' cause animals to believe that I am a threat. They tend to attack me on sight." The bird in the cage _hissed_ as well as a bird could hiss in agreement. Roy's face then adopted a look of nervousness at this new development.

"Ah, I see." Was all he said.

By late morning, the pair of mages reached the forest near Central City, where there was an empty and lifeless clearing that was devoid of all life forms, including grass. Looking around to make sure that there was no one nearby, Roy took a deep breath.

"Fullmetal, step back and be prepared to defend yourself." He said curtly. Ed was confused as to what he would have to defend against, but didn't question the older mage's orders for once.

The Dragon Mage then reached into a pocket and took out a strange key. Afterwards, he used the large tree branch that he had been carrying and drew a circle around himself, before carving a pattern of strange symbols inside. Then, he started chanting in a strange language that was a combination of growls, hisses, and roars, his voice far too deep and scratchy to be considered human. Suddenly, the temperatures abruptly plummeted and the air seemed to freeze as an unearthly presence filled the atmosphere. A door appeared on the ground before Roy's feet and the mage inserted the key into the lock. A loud click resounded in the frozen air.

There was a pause.

And suddenly it was broken as the door flew open violently and a large beast rose from the ground, its scaly body rocketing towards the sky as it roared in a deafeningly loud cry of joy. Ed screamed in mindless terror, whipping out his wand before clumsily dropping it. He then hurriedly backed away only to fall flat on the ground. All the noise he made during all this seemed to catch the dragon's attention.

Beady black eyes turned on him as the scaled lizard hovered above him, smoke rising from its nostrils.

"N-nice dragon." Ed stuttered nervously, finding himself petrified under the creatures gaze. "N-nice fire breathing dragon..." The beast studied him for a moment before landing in front of the trembling boy. Ed made a sound that resembled something between a croak and a squeak. Roy approached slowly, preparing to hold the dragon back from burning his former subordinate into crisp. the dragon stepped forward, towering over Ed menacingly. For a moment, the two mages seemed to believe that the beast was going to attack. Fortunately for them, it didn't. Instead, it blew a puff of smoke in Ed's direction, before stepping back to look at Roy, as if waiting for orders. The pair of former soldiers sighed silently in relief.

Now out of immediate danger, the Fullmetal Mage turned to glare at Roy, who ignored him. The boy decided to demand for answers later however, not wanting to provoke the dragon who was only a mere three meters away.

"Hey, Claw. Long time no see, eh?" Roy said calmly, as if he were talking to an old friend. The scaled creature spoke in a series of grunts in response and the Dragon Mage grinned. "Thanks. Listen now, I'd love to chat some more with you, but I'm in a bit of a rush. You've heard of the new law around here, right?" The dragon growled, causing Roy to roll his eyes. "Of course I know! But that isn't going to help lift the ban. That shrimp there," He gestured at Ed. "Is in a dire situation however, and he needs to visit the library to help save his last family member. He doesn't have the time to wait for the King to die!" The dragon spoke in its own strange way once more and Roy sighed. "Surly you can spare a few seconds to help me pay off that blasted debt of mine." More grunts. "Yes, I'm doing this for _him_. Now will you help us?" The dragon hesitated. "Please." It nodded reluctantly and the Dragon Mage grinned widely. "I knew I could count on you!"

Ed watched expressionlessly as Roy climbed on to the back of the creature, almost looking excited.

"Come on, Fullmetal. Get on already! We're in a bit of a rush here! The gates of the sky could close any minute now!" The young mage snapped out of his daze and looked at the dragon.

"Uh..."

"Come on, shrimp! Are you too scared to get ride a dragon?" Roy taunted, but Ed wasn't going to climb onto the fire breathing lizard, no matter what the older mage said. Without a word, he spun on his heels and proceeded to walk away.

A big gust of wind suddenly blew him over as the dragon took flight. He felt a pair of large, scaly, and clawed hands wrap around his arms and suddenly, he found himself dangling a few hundred feet above the earth. As they picked up speed and rose higher and higher into the sky, Ed screamed.

"_I am going to kill you_, Colonel Bastard! _Kill_, you hear me?"

* * *

**A/N: I'm not really happy with how this chapter turned out, but I was too lazy to edit it over and over again. I wanted to go ahead and update this story. I'll probably go back and edit this later on. Tell me your opinions on this chapter! Was it good? Bad? Too rushed? Could be better? How can I improve? Thank you, kendraCS and QueenCari1129 for reviewing last chapter. Also, worry not about the lack of Riza and Al. I have them listed as characters in this story for a reason. They'll appear in later chapters! Until the next time I update, I, EndlessStars bid you farewell!**


	3. Chapter 2: Welcome to Ishval

**A/N: Greetings, reader! It's me again, and I didn't take eight months to update this time! First off, I'd like to thank everybody who followed and/or reviewed the story, I really appreciate it! Second off, I'm going to dump a bunch of information into this author's note in response to Shilo Moon's review from the last chapter. Thanks for the constructive criticism, it was really helpful! I wasn't completely satisfied with my previous chapters, but I didn't know how I could improve it. I'm going to edit the prologue so that the story flows a bit better, but for now I want to write more chapters before going back to edit it. Also, this story doesn't follow the normal plot. I really didn't see the point in writing the same story but with a few minor differences, but there will be a few similarities. I didn't do any research when I wrote this, so I completely forgot that the military and military ranks wouldn't blend well with the medieval setting. I'm going to keep it that way for now though, since I'm more familiar with it. As for background, I completely forgot to explain it. Here it goes: **

**When Ed and Al were little, their father left to explore a distant land and told them to never expect to see him again. The boys grew up with their mother and all was well until she one day "disappeared". The Elric brothers were told that she had died under mysterious circumstances and as a result, they found a teacher to improve their understanding about magic so that they could bring her back. Their attempt however, failed and the brothers end up in their current predicament. After Ed becomes a Royal Mage, the brothers find several leads that may lead them to the Philosopher's Book. However, a year later, magic was banned and the brother's search become a lot more complicated...**

**I'll add this information to the prologue when I get around to editing it. If anybody else has any constructive criticism or questions, please tell me! I think that's all I have to say in this over sized A/N. Well, without further ado, let the story continue!**

**Disclaimer: I totally own FMA! (Laughs nervously) Why would you ask such a silly question? ("Liar!" my conscience tells me)**

Chapter 2: Welcome to Ishval

Ed fell to his knees when the dragon finally landed. Swallowing his pride, the young mage kissed the ground, nearly relieved to the point of tears.

"Oh sweet, sweet land! How I missed you!" Roy rolled his eyes at the sorry sight.

"For such a loud and disrespectful shrimp, you sure are dramatic." He said, sighing in exasperation and mentally regretting that there was no way for him to save this moment forever. It wasn't everyday that one gets to see the_ all powerful Fullmetal Mage_ kiss the ground.

Ed completely ignored him and continued to talk to the earth. Meanwhile, Roy decided to do something progressive and took out a large bag full of money as he saw a figure descending from the sky to collect the fee required for them to cross over to this strange land. When the person was close enough to be seen, however, Roy suppressed the urge to groan and just walk away.

The figure landed and laughed loudly as he proceeded to pulled the Dragon Mage into an one armed hug.

"Hey Roy! Didn't expect to see you so soon! How have you been? How's Gracia doing?" Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes said cheerfully.

"_I_ didn't expect to see you so soon either..." Roy muttered under his breath before resigning to the fact that he was going to be stuck with his loud friend for awhile. It wasn't that Roy _completely_ despised the man, but he wasn't very handy with magic and tended to be rather _noisy_, which was the last sort of ally he was needing at the moment. Hughes, knowing this, wasn't at all offended by his friend's apparent displeasure at his presence.

"The others were all preoccupied at the moment so they sent me to let you in." Hughes said as he took the bag of money. He then studied the bag. "You did put _exactly_ a hundred coins in here, right? I know that neither of us want to recreate _that_ incident again."

"Of course I did, I'm not as careless as I was then." Roy huffed, grimacing at the unpleasant memory. "I still can't believe I was punished for being one coin off. Ruby's a greedy creature..." Maes shrugged.

"Dragons will dragons. Besides, Ruby _is_ in charge of who goes in and out of this place. She's a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to her job. It keeps this land safe."

"Speaking of safe," Roy said, looking at Hughes with a bit of concern. "Is the King aware that you're here?"

"Nope, I had one of my subordinates tell him that I was sick with a highly contagious disease and would be gone for a few days."

"And you seriously believe that he would buy that?" Roy asked disbelievingly. "The King's no fool and that's the oldest trick in the book!"

"Well, it's completely plausible considering that there's been a bit of an epidemic in East City." Hughes said reassuringly. "You worry too much Roy! The King may not be a fool, but neither am_ I_."

"It's your funeral." Was Roy's only response. His friend laughed and walked over to Ed, kneeling down to observe the young mage.

"I take it this is the Fullmetal Mage you've been talking about." Roy nodded. "Didn't you say he was a _skilled and powerful mage?_" Hughes asked, an eyebrow raised.

"First of all, _Riza_ said he was skilled and powerful. Second of all, he's a bit shaken from his first encounter with a dragon." Roy gestured at Claw, who flapped his wings, as if to say hello. "He doesn't do well with animals."

"I can see _that_ clearly." Hughes said. Ed, who had finally come to his senses, was then suddenly aware of the stranger kneeling before him. He hurriedly stumbled to his feet and brushed the dust off his pants, a bit humiliated. Unfortunately, he expresses his embarrassment through anger and violence.

"Who the _hell_ are you?" He demanded, pointing at Hughes accusingly. The soldier grinned and offered his hand.

"The name's Hughes. Maes Hughes. I'm here to let you in here through the gates." Ed glared at him, reaching for his wand.

"He's also an acquaintance of mine." Roy hurriedly explained before Ed could turn their new companion into a toad. "He's here to_ help._"

"I sure am! My _best buddy_, Roy here, told me all about your situation. Don't worry, I'm sure that you'll find something useful here."

"And_ where_ exactly is _here?_" Ed asked, eyes narrowed.

"You didn't tell him?" Hughes exclaimed incredulously to Roy.

"We were in a rush and I couldn't explain anything to him on the way here, considering the fact that he was _screaming_ the entire time."

"I was _not._" The young mage huffed, but was mostly ignored.

"Well this might be a problem." Hughes said, looking a bit irritated.

"The shrimp's gone through much worse surprises." Roy said defensively.

"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?" The two older men turned to look at him before looking back at each other.

"_Roy_ will fill you in while I go get this to Ruby." Hughes said and before anyone could respond, he floated off towards the top of the high walls behind them.

Ed looked at his fellow mage expectantly. Roy sighed and gestured for him to follow him. He stood up and did exactly that. As they walked, the young mage realized that they were at the top of a big hill, for he soon saw a golden plain of sand spread out before them. There were a few sparse oasis and plenty of buildings, but the feature that stood out the most was the diverse array of creatures that prowled in the desert like environment. There were dragons of all sorts, soaring in the skies and roaming the sand dunes. A flock of orange, red, and yellow birds, phoenixes, flew as they dragged floating chariots behind them. More strange beings could be seen doing all sorts of chores or just roaming the land. Ed, as a mage, was elated at the sight. It was a land of magic. But his joy was to be short lived.

"Welcome to Ishval, _shrimp_." Roy said and his mood took a long trip south.

* * *

When he was very young, before Al had been born, his father used to sit down occasionally and tell him ancient legends about magic. He doesn't remember most of the stories, but he vaguely recalled his father's tale of how magic was discovered. He was told that there were two possible origins for magic. Some say that an ancient kingdom called Xerxes had invented the earliest form of magic. Others insisted that magic has always been apart of the very earth itself and that all magical creatures came from one place. They called this place Ishval.

Then, decades ago, the legendary home of magic had been discovered and Amestris had attempted to conquer it. But seers from both Ishval and Amestris had foreseen a long and bloody fight if they were to start a war. As a result, an uneasy period of peace came in the wake of a treaty. The treaty stated that Amestris would have limited access to Ishval so long as Amestris didn't attack and allowed Ishval to remain independent. That agreement however, was not to last. Just a year after the treaty was signed, a young Ishvalan mage was killed when an arrow struck her heart. That arrow had a blue feather attached to it, meaning that it could only belong to a soldier from Amestris. War broke out, but neither of the two kingdoms were winning. Ishval had powerful creatures of magic to defend them, but Amestris had superior weapons and technology. Then, the King recruited a handful of Amestrians who had learned a bit of magic before the war and eventually, the Ishvalans were defeated.

The Ishvalans weren't just going to let Amestris take their land, however, so the most powerful of all creatures, the dragons, had gathered to create a wall and magical barrier between the two kingdoms. Since then, there's been an unstable period of peace between the two worlds, neither of them capable of attacking the other and only dragons have had the freedom of going in and out of Ishval, during certain periods of the day.

Now that he thought about it, Ed was surprised that he hadn't realized what this place was earlier. There were_ dragons_ and_ giant walls!_ How much more obvious could it be? Then he remembered another important bit of information.

As a result of the war, Ishvalans _despised_ Royal Mages.

Ed turned to look at his fellow mage, eyes wide.

"Are you_ insane?_" He hissed angrily. Roy sighed.

"I know what your thinking Fullmetal, but everything's going to be-"

"Don't you_ dare_ finish that sentence!" Ed snapped. "We're in a land full of_ dangerous_, magical creatures who would want to _kill us on sight_ if they knew who we were! That is _not_ okay!" The Ex-Colonel rolled his eyes.

"I'm called the _Dragon Mage_ for a reason, _Fullmetal_."

* * *

Al walked beside the intimidating lady that had possibly saved his life, fighting the urge to run away. The other enchanted citizens had been magically transported to an abandoned castle in Northern Amestris this morning after being assured that if they were discovered, there was an underground tunnel system they could use to escape. Al, however, had been told to stay with Lady Hawkeye for reasons that he hadn't been told yet. Now, he was struggling to keep up with his guide as they went down a road. He could see a distant house ahead of them and assumed that it was their destination, considering that the rest of the surrounding area was an empty wasteland. He was itching ask Lady Hawkeye why he wasn't going to the Northern Castle yet, but he couldn't gather enough courage to even attempt to talk to her. Hawkeye seemed to be a scary person.

Many awkward minutes passed without any sounds besides, their footsteps. Finally, they reached the three story house, which seemed to be falling apart before their eyes. Riza, as Colonel Mustang had called her, took out a key and unlocked the door. There were two men sitting in the living room when they entered. Both stood up and bowed in response to the presence of a the Noblewoman.

"Lady Hawkeye, it's a pleasure to see you again." The taller of the two men said.

"The pleasures all mine, Warrant Officer Falman" Riza said quietly. "I trust that you and Master Sergeant Fuery are prepared?"

"We are, but according to our informants, there are already soldiers in all of the towns nearby. We'll have to wait a few days before we can continue with the plan." Riza frowned.

"I don't think Hughes' excuse of being sick is going to last much longer. King Bradley's already suspicious."

"It'll take awhile for him to return from Ishval anyway. Could you buy us anymore time or find somebody else to guide us to the estate?"

"I'll see what I can do." That said, the two men, Falman and Fuery relaxed and turned their attention to Al, who was looking at them with wide and confused eyes. The shorter of the two men approached him with a friendly smile.

"Hello, you must be Alphonse. The Fullmetal Mage's brother, correct?" Al nodded mutely. The Master Sergeant offered him a handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you. The Colonel has spoken highly of you. I'm Master Sergeant Fuery, but you could just call me Kain." Al shook his hand as the other man approached them.

"You must be confused, Alphonse." He said, not unkindly. "Come and sit. We'll explain a few things to you."

* * *

**A/N: Done again! I decided to post this a day later than I was supposed to since I wanted to edit it a bit. I originally didn't plan on editing, but when I read this over, I found too many grammatical errors. In this chapter, I included a bit of Al's side of the story. I didn't plan on having any of Mustang's subordinates (Well, in this story, they're just his friend's who happen to be in the military. They aren't exactly a team yet.) enter the story at this point, but I decided that I wanted to include Falman and Fuery. I think that they deserve more attention, since they're barely in any fanfictions. Please write a review, follow, and/or favorite... I'd like to know that I have people actually still reading this fic at this point considering the fact that I abandoned this story for half a yeaar and then completely changed it's summary. Was this chapter/story good? Bad? How can I make it better? Thank you curligirl0896 and Shilo Moon for reviewing last chapter and thank you to anybody who followed this story! Until the next time, I, EndlessStars, bid you farewell!**


	4. Chapter 3: The Forgotten Day

**A/N: Thank you everybody who followed, favorited, or reviewed this story! I really appreciate your support! I'm SO sorry I took this long to update, but I think I have a valid excuse for it. I do have a life outside of fanfiction. Long story short, I had to help plan two surprise parties and get ready for schooL, which I'm starting tomorrow. Speaking of that, updates will obviously be different since I'm starting school. I'll probably be buried under a pile of homework soon and I also have another story on this site that I'm working on. On top of all that, I also have two other stories planned, and they are begging to be written. Because of this, I have come up with a plan as to how I'll update. Since I have four stories that I want to write, I decided to split them into to two groups. This story, and another that I'm going to publish soon, will be updated at least once a week (hopefully) during the month of September. After that, I will work on my other two stories for a month. Basically, I'll update weekly one month and then not update at all the next month. I'm not sure if this is the best plan in the world, but that's what I'm going to do for now. Thank you patience and if you're still confused about how I'll update, feel free to tell me and I'll explain it in more detail next chapter. Also, I've been experiencing some writer's block recently, so this is probably not a very good chapter, but I didn't know how else I could write it. Please forgive me if this sucks and has wasted several minutes of your life. Now, without further ado, let the story continue!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. Never have, never will.**

Chapter 3: The Forgotten Day  


Ed, Roy, and Hughes decided to stop at a nearby village for the night after Hughes' return. The closest settlement however, was known to be rather hostile to outsiders. Still, none of them were going to take their chances in the desert, which was infested by dragons and other dangerous lizards. So here they were, dressed in long cloaks as they entered the busy town, trying to keep their heads low. Roy, as one of the royal mages that had been instrumental in the Ishvalans' defeat, had the highest chance of being recognized by one of the survivors of the war. Ed had helped him change the color of his skin, hair, and eyes so that he would blend in better, but they all knew that it wouldn't help much if they drew any attention to themselves. After all, it would be hard to forget the face of the man who had burned down your home and everybody in it, no matter what had changed about them.

They soon entered one of the less busy inns and Ed approached the innkeeper. After a lot of debate, the trio had nominated him to speak for them, since he would appear to be the least threatening and suspicious of them all, so long as he managed to control his temper. After eating their dinner quickly, they went to their respective rooms, away from the people gathering at the inn as the night dragged on.

Ed crashed into his wonderfully soft bed with a loud sigh.

It had been a long day. He found it hard to believe that it was just last night that Al had left with Lady Hawkeye to an unknown location. It already felt as if he and his brother had been separated for years. A sudden wave of homesickness washed over him, even though he had no home to miss at this point. After all, it had been burned down years ago. _He_ had burned it down. He and his brother...

The young mage didn't realize that he had been falling asleep until a loud laugh woke him up. He leaped out of bed and had his wand in his hands in a flash, pointing it at the room wildly.

"Who's there?" He snapped, but didn't see anyone. "Mustang, if that was you, I_ will_ turn you into a toad again."

"Who's this Mustang you speak of, Fullmetal?" Ed jumped at that. The speaker sounded dangerously close, as if they were right beside him. As if they read his mind, the stranger then said, "Turn to your right, and you shall see me." He followed the voice's instructions. There, in a mirror on the table, a woman's face could be seen. She was smiling maliciously at him, her eyes gleaming with hatred. "It's a pleasure to see you again." She purred.

"What do you mean by that? Who are you?" Ed asked angrily. The woman smirked.

"I'm called Lust."

_Well, doesn't _that_ sound reassuring._ The young mage thought, feeling a headache coming already._ I just can't get a break, can I? A dragon drags me to a land of magic where everybody would probably want to kill me, and now some weird lady named _Lust_ pops up in a mirror. What kind of name is that anyway? _

"What do you want?" He asked tiredly.

"I just wanted to have a talk with Father's precious sacrifice."

"What?" Any desire for sleep was thrown out of Ed's mind as he heard that sentence. He glared at Lust and tightened his grip on his wand. "What do you mean by sacrifice?"

"Oh dear, it appears that I have spoken too much." Lust said with mock concern.

"Explain yourself!" Ed hissed in a louder voice. "Who's 'Father'? Why did you call me his sacrifice?" The dark haired woman chuckled.

"All in good time, young mage. I'm actually just here to pass on a message."

"From who?"

"I'm sure you'll figure out who. You're smart boy, aren't you?" Ed didn't respond. Lust sighed. "My, my, you look tired. I suppose I should just tell you the message and have my talk with you later..." Her face became serious. "Father's _friend_ wishes you a Merry Christmas."

And before Ed could react, the woman's image disappeared, melting away like ice under the sun.

* * *

Roy didn't_ mean_ to eavesdrop on his former subordinate. He really didn't! He just_ happened_ to pass by Ed's room when he heard the young mage yelling at empty air. Fearing for the boy's sanity, not for the first time since he's met him, the Dragon Mage had decided to see what was going on.

He quickly drew a circle and unlocked the door with a simple spell. Opening it slightly, he looked to see no one in the room other than Ed.

"Explain yourself!" The boy said loudly, and Roy's suspicions about his mental state of mind were confirmed. "Who's 'Father'? Why did you call me his sacrifice?" There was a slight pause. "From who?"

Roy's then realized that Ed really _did_ seem to be having a conversation with someone. But there was nobody in the room, so the older mage concluded that he was hallucinating. That's when he started to get seriously concerned. _He's really lost it! The pressure of being a soldier and the new law has finally broken him!_ Just as he was about to charge into the room and ask if this was all a joke, a movement on a desk in the room caught his eyes. Following Ed's line of sight, he spotted the image of a black haired woman in the mirror, just as she began to melt away. He froze.

That face. That face looked familiar. _Why_ would it look familiar? And what was it doing, appearing on a mirror and apparently talking with _Ed_? Whoever she was, the younger mage seemed to be frustrated by her sudden disappearance. Face as dark as storm clouds, Ed marched to the desk and promptly stuffed the mirror into a drawer, though he appeared to be tempted to smash it into the ground instead. The boy however, had some form of common sense. He knew that he shouldn't attract the attention of others or he and his companions would be murdered faster than they could beg for mercy.

Muttering some colorful words under his breath, Ed practically threw himself onto his bed and within minutes, he had fallen into a fitful slumber.

Roy stayed in his position outside the door for a few minutes, the strange woman's face still fresh in his mind. _Who was she? I_ know_ that I know her somehow... Why can't I remember? _Worry plagued his his mind as he struggled to place a name on the woman's face. In the end, he concluded that while he couldn't, for the life of him, remember who she is, the face that had appeared in the mirror was not a friendly one. Roy's instincts insisted that something would soon go terribly wrong if he didn't take action, not that he was planning on sitting and waiting for an enemy to attack anyway. _  
_

Standing up, the mage locked the door and walked towards his own room, a stupid and desperate plan forming in his mind. As soon as he reached his destination, Roy closed the curtains and took out a bottle of ink, a quill, and a piece of paper. Ignoring the voice in his head that was telling him how stupid he was for doing this, he prayed to whatever god out there that would listen to allow him to live after tonight's events. After all that, he took a deep breath and began to carefully draw the circle, knowing that one mistake could cost him his life. Usually, he wouldn't dare to try and use such a powerful circle, but he knew that the woman in the mirror was bad news and he _had_ to find out why.

Several minutes later, he was finally done. Looking over it three times, Roy was _almost_ certain that the circle was indeed perfect. Satisfied that the circle was _probably_ safe to use, the mage proceeded to place the sheet of paper under his pillow before getting into bed. Now, all he had to do was sleep... So naturally, he ended staring at the ceiling, his heart thrashing wildly in fear and nervousness. There was absolutely _no_ way that he was going to fall asleep anytime soon. Struggling to calm down, Roy could do nothing but wait for himself to get tired. What felt like an eternity later, he did relax.

The Dragon Mage was plunged into a deep and unending darkness.

* * *

He woke up to find himself sitting on a chair in the middle of a giant circle, the floor around him glowing brightly, revealing a number of strange symbols. The room he was in was completely dark except for the circle area he was sitting in. He squinted, struggling to see what was in the room with him, and managed to make out a large group of people surrounding him, sitting in a semicircle as they looked at him with blank expressions. For a few minutes, nothing happened. The people in the room might as well have been statues. Just as his past self was about to speak up, one of the people surrounding him stood up and stepped into the light. With long black hair and a mysterious smile, he instantly realized that it was the woman in the mirror. But still, he didn't recognize her.

"Congratulations, Roy Mustang. You have passed the Royal Mage Exam." She said. Roy frowned. Was this a part of the exam that he had taken all those years ago? He was sure that he would remember if it was...

He didn't get to see what happened to his past self next, for the scene started spinning and changing, as if time was literally flying by. When the images finally settled down to show him the next scene, Roy found himself in his own office, the woman and a strange fat man sitting before him. A black wand was pointed to his face as the woman smirked at him. The amount of hatred pouring from her eyes was almost frightening.

"Don't take this personally,_ Dragon Mage_. I'm acting on the King's orders." She said. "His majesty is merely trying to prevent future conflicts between us, his two strongest mages. Besides, I'm not too keen on dying to the likes of you. I hope you understand." Her wand began to hum and the temperature in the surrounding area dropped ten degrees. His past self sat on his chair, frozen, petrified by shock and fear. Roy screamed at himself, telling him to run for dear life, but to no avail. The past was the past and the Roy in the scene refused to budge.

But just as the wand seemed ready to cast a spell on him, an unexpected visitor interrupted the woman, possibly saving his life. Jean Havoc, a friend of his, burst into the room, breathing heavily.

"_Solaris?_ What's the meaning of this? What are you even doing here?" He asked, eyes wide as he saw the scene before him. "Aren't you supposed to be at Central City? I know that you're worried about the strange magical attacks happening around here, but the Kind gave you orders to stay at the Royal Palace, didn't he?"

"Solaris" cackled at his confused words. The long black wand in her hands turned away from Roy's face to point at Jean. His friend took an uncertain step back.

"Solaris?" He asked, now sounding a bit frightened.

"You fool! Is it not obvious?" The wand began to glow, eery green light pulsing around it. "I'm the cause of those magical attacks!" Jean's eyes widened as he looked at Solaris.

"W-what? But..."

"But nothing! You were merely a tool I used to get the information I needed. I have no use for you now and I was originally going to allow you to live. But now, it seems I have no choice!" His past self snapped out of his daze.

"_No_! Don't you _dare_ do it!" He shouted, his voice cracking as he stood up, ready to fight the woman. She smiled, as if amused by his sudden rush of courage.

"I have no choice. He's seen too much." Before past Roy had time to react, his friend suddenly dropped to his knees, green light surrounding him. Solaris began to chant, her voice rising as she continued. With each passing second, Jean began to become more and more transparent. Roy watched in silent horror. His friend, now laying lifelessly on the floor looked up, as if desperate to say something before it was too late.

"Roy," He croaked out. "Don't-" But he never got to finish the sentence, for in the next moment, he was simply... gone. Possibly, or rather_ definitely_ dead. There was no body. It was as if Jean Havoc, one of his oldest friends, had never existed. His brain couldn't seem to comprehend that fact. Lust, taking advantage of his current state, quickly blasted him with another spell. He didn't even notice when the curse hit his head. He simply blacked out.

* * *

Maes Hughes was woken up by a cry of agony in the middle of the night. He sat up quickly, rubbing his eyes.

_Is that_ Roy_?_

* * *

**A/N: I'm not very satisfied by this chapter... I don't know why, but it felt rushed and just plain silly to me. That is why I'm going to ask for you, the reader, to review! Not only would it make me happy and motivated to write more, it would also tell me how I can make this story more enjoyable for you to read! Constructive Criticism is welcomed and appreciated as always, and whether you hate or love this story, your opinion is welcome. Also, note that this is unedited, so I probably made a bunch of mistakes. I remind you that I'll update at a later date (probably around the time I reach chapter 10). If you have any questions, feel free to ask me! Until next week (hopefully, but I make no promises!), I, EndlessStars, bid you farewell!  
**


	5. Chapter 4: Eyes of Madness

**A/N: Hello, reader! I'm so sorry this took so long to update, but I was busy with another fic and I've written so many versions of this chapter, it isn't even funny. The month's almost over, sadly enough, so there might be one update after this one before I disappear for a month to work on my other fanfics. This chapter's a bit short, but there's nothing else I want to add to it, so I'll just leave it as it is. I'm having some trouble putting in background info and explaining how things in this world work, so if any of you guys have any advice on that, please tell me. Until I figure out how to properly explain things however, I'll just have info dumps in the beginning of each chapter. In this chapter, Ed, Roy, and Hughes cross the desert through a system of wagons and carriages dragged by invisible horses and driven by the horse's owners. They stay together in a large group/line to have safety in numbers. It's like their version of a train. Each person, or group of people find a wagon and pay a certain amount of money to get on. Now, with no further ado, let the story continue!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than the plot and setting**

Chapter 4: The Eyes of Madness

Ed knew that something was wrong the moment he sat down to join his companions for breakfast.

Roy was fidgeting nervously like an energetic child, his face haunted and weary. He looked as tired as Ed felt. Beside the Dragon Mage, the man he met yesterday, Maes Hughes, was glaring suspiciously at his friend, as if knowing that he was hiding something. Ed would have asked what was wrong, but he too felt terrible. After the strange woman, Lust, had left him with an unwanted but familiar message, he hadn't been able to get a lot of sleep. Once again, Ed couldn't help but wish that Al was here with him. The young mage hadn't realized how much he depended on his sibling until now, after they had been separated. This fact only made him more determined to lift his little brother's curse.

That thought in mind, Ed tightened his grip on his fork and began to devour his meal at an inhuman speed as Mustang and Hughes looked on with genuine concern.

"What's the rush, _Fullmetal?_" Roy finally asked when the young mage nearly choked on a mouthful of bacon. "We have a whole day to get to our next destination."

"The sooner we get there, the better." Ed answered curtly as he inhaled the rest of his breakfast. His fellow mage sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing what he was probably thinking.

"Ed, I understand that you want to find the Philosopher's Book as quickly as possible. I really do. But you're not going to find anything if you end up choking to death right here and now." Ed shrugged indifferently and belched loudly, leaning back in his chair comfortably.

"What's done is done." Was his only response to Mustang's statement. Hughes chuckled and Roy gave him a look of exasperation before they both proceeded to finish their own meals. Ed tapped his foot impatiently and waited.

The trio, left the inn within the hour, just after sunrise and tried to keep their heads low as they went down the already busy streets. Roy's face was almost completely covered by the hood of the cloak he was wearing, so no one could get a good look at his face. With his eyes covered however, the all powerful mage was forced to stumble along slowly as he grabbed at the air in front of him. Ed personally believed that Mustang was far more suspicous and attention worthy this way, but Hughes insisted that they were safer this way. However, he got the feeling that Maes was simply having too much fun watching Mustang's attempt to walk while blind. Ed too, found the sight rather amusing, but he had bigger things to do, and they were walking at a painfully slow pace. Finally, after about half an hour, they approached the edge of the city. Suddenly, a question occurred to Ed.

"How are we going to get though the desert and to the next town in this blazing heat within a day?" In response to his question, Hughes turned to look at him as if he'd grown a tail.

"Who said anything about walking? No sane person would try to cross these deserts in the middle of summer. The only place you'd get to if you're stupid enough to try crossing is the afterlife."

"Then how-" He began to ask, when the sound of hooves alerted him to something behind him. He turned to see a long line of wagons and carriages appear in the distance, each being dragged by an invisible, unseen creature. People began to gather around them, each of them carrying luggage of some sort.

"Does that answer your question, Fullmetal?" Roy asked, as he took out his wallet and gave it to Hughes, who began counting the coins.

* * *

Ed had fallen asleep just a few hours after they set off for Liore, the next closest town east of the village where they had stayed the previous night. Since they were the only passengers on the wagon, aside from their driver, Hughes decided to continue his interrogation with Roy.

"So, Roy, are you ready to confess about what _really_ happened last night?" He asked casually, glancing at his friend from the corner of his eyes. The Dragon Mage scowled at him.

"I've told you five times already. It was just a bad dream." He said coldly, his dark expression discouraging any further conversation about that particular subject.

"Don't lie." Hughes said, rolling his eyes. "You've been through things a lot more terrifying than a nightmare, and yet I've rarely heard you scream, and I've _never_ seen you cry. Last night however, you screamed and I'm pretty sure a saw some tears. Besides, I've known you for years now, so I know that you're lying." Roy stayed silent, and his worried friend became rather impatient and annoyed as he sighed in frustration. "Roy, why won't you just tell me? We've never kept secrets from each other before! I just want to help, but if you won't let me, what am I supposed to-"

"Havoc's dead." Roy announced suddenly and bluntly, effectively silencing his friend. Maes' eyes doubled in size as he froze in shock. For a few minutes, the only sound that could be heard was the soft chatter coming from other wagons around them and Ed's thunderous snores.

"What?" Hughes croaked, as he finally managed to regain his wits. "How do you know? He's been missing for years..." Roy hesitated, unsure of what he should and shouldn't tell his friend. He felt as if it wasn't his place to tell Hughes about the strange woman in the mirror, but at the same time, he desperately needed to talk to somebody about all that had happened last night. Finally, he arrived at the conclusion that Maes would have to know about the possibly upcoming threats sooner or later and began to explain. When he was done, his friend was looking at him as if he had gone insane.

"So let me get this straight... A familiar but unnamed woman appears in Ed's mirror in the middle of the night, has a telepathic conversation with him, and for some reason you thought she was a threat. Because of this, you used a magic circle to dig up any memories you have about her through your dreams only to find out that she was there at your Royal Mage Exam, and that she killed your friend, who's been missing for years, right before your eyes. On top of that, you _somehow_ managed to forget about your friend's murder." Hughes summarized, sounding skeptical about the whole story. Mustang nodded grimly. Maes sighed and put his head in his hands. "Roy, are sure that it wasn't just a bad dream? Has the heat gotten to you already? Because you're sound like nutcase. Can magic even do that? Is it even possible to dig up forgotten memories?" Once again, Roy nodded.

"It is... it's just dangerous. After all, some things are forgotten for a reason. This is an excellent example of that fact." Hughes couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"Indeed." With nothing else to say, the two old friends fell into a comfortable silence. Then, Hughes voiced a question that Roy hadn't thought much about yet.

"So, assuming that this crazy story is true, will that sorceress attack us anytime soon? And if she does, what the_ hell_ are we going to do about it?" Mustang frowned as worry began to plague his mind once more. He didn't have the energy to deal with it at the moment, however, for he had spent the entire night and morning worrying and the heat was making him drowsy. Instead, he settled for a short and simple, but true answer to the question.

"I don't know." He said tiredly, laying down to stare at the sky. "I don't know..."

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when they finally got to Liore. Someone was waiting for them there. Roy looked tense and even nervous as they approached the cloaked figure. Ed too had a bad feeling stirring inside him, but ignored it. Hughes was as smiley as always.

"It's good to see you again, Dragon Mage." A polite voice said quietly. Roy nodded.

"It's good to see you too." He said through gritted teeth. "I'd like to introduce you to a couple acquaintances of mine. That smiling idiot over there is Maes Hughes, and the pipsqueak is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Mage." Ed fumed at being referred to as a "pipsqueak", but was mostly ignored.

"It's nice to meet both of you." The cloaked figure said, an unsettling look in his eyes. "My name is Shou Tucker, the former Sewing-Life Mage."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, please favorite/follow/review. Reviews and constructive criticism is especially appreciated! I'll try to update neaxt week or even get two chapters done before the end of the month, but no promises. Until next time, I, EndlessStars, bid you farewell!  
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